Wireless chargers are a dime a dozen, and Samsung has been making wireless chargers of various kinds for years. The primary reason to buy a Samsung wireless charger is if you have a Samsung Galaxy Watch, which I do. Samsung’s 2021 line of wireless chargers are its most refined and elegant yet, but unless you have a Samsung Galaxy Watch, there are many better options. But if you do, as I do, these chargers may be for you… if you find a sale.
This year there are three models. There is the Wireless Charger Single, Wireless Charger Duo, and Wireless Charger Trio. As the names may imply, the Single can charge one device, be it a smartphone or other qi charging capable devices. The Duo adds a second charging spot which is dedicated to Samsung Galaxy Watches. And the Trio can charge two devices and a watch. The model I purchased is the Charger Duo, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on.
The Charger Duo is a simple, yet nice looking device. Coming in black or white, it features a qi charger on the left 2/3 which can accommodate my Galaxy Note 10+, which is one of Samsung’s larger phones. The right side of the pad contains a small circular divot that fits a Samsung Galaxy Watch, in my case the Watch Active 2. Helpfully the circular divot has a magnet which means the watch will snap to exactly the right place and charge properly, with no need to worry about whether the watch will start charging. The surface of the charger is a hard plastic, but not one that feels cheap. It feels very high quality, and with it’s basic yet sleek look, my white model looks great on my bedside table.
As for charging, Samsung watches are rated at 5W, which is what this will charge watches at. The phone charging is rated at up to 9W, which is not the fastest wireless charging on the market today but is good enough for charging overnight. Should you want a quick phone top up, this is not the right charger. It really is meant for a phone to go on overnight and wake up to a full charger. The charger in the box an older style Samsung 15W charger, though Samsung says any USB-C charger that supports 18W power delivery will also work.
The main reason I wanted this charger was to have a cleaner look on the bedside table. Instead of having a phone charger and the small magnetic puck charger for the watch, this is a small pad that matches the aesthetic of the room, with one cable. Yes, two separate cables work just fine, and doesn’t look terrible, this just looks cleaner in my bedroom.
And that’s where we come to the biggest downside to this product: the price. The regular retail price of the Charger Duo is $80, which is far too high. Yes, it looks nice, but for $80 I would just stick with two cables. I found my device on sale for $40, which is what it should just cost. I would have no problems recommending this Charger Duo at that price to anyone with a Galaxy Watch. But at $80 just to look nice, it is a non starter.
So that’s kind of the story here. If you have a Samsung Galaxy Watch, and can find this device on sale for $40, I think it is worth it. I like mine, and it works well enough. But at full price, the “it looks nice” factor isn’t worth it.